Apollo
Apollo is, among others, the god of light and healing, and twin brother to Artemis Greek Mythology Edit Apollo is one of the most important and diverse of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless, athletic youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; medicine, healing, and plague; music, poetry, and the arts; and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis. Medicine and healing were associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son Asclepius, yet Apollo was also seen as a god who could bring ill-health and deadly plague. Amongst the god's custodial charges, Apollo became associated with dominion over colonists, and as the patron defender of herds and flocks. As the leader of the Muses and director of their choir, Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. Hermes created the lyre for him, and the instrument became a common attribute of Apollo. Hymns sung to Apollo were called paeans. In Hellenistic times, especially during the 3rd century BCE, as Apollo Helios he became identified among Greeks with Helios, Titan god of the sun, and his sister Artemis similarly equated with Selene, Titan goddess of the moon. In Latin texts, on the other hand, Joseph Fontenrose declared himself unable to find any conflation of Apollo with Sol among the Augustan poets of the 1st century, not even in the conjurations of Aeneas and Latinus in Aeneid XII (161–215). Apollo and Helios/Sol remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts until the 3rd century CE. In God of War seriesEdit God of War ComicsEdit Apollo was mentioned several times in the God of War comics, and a portion of his power also appeared, being known as Apollo's Flame. GamesEdit Although not appearing in any game himself, his legendary bow does appear in God of War III. Peirithous, a man imprisoned in the Underworld by Hades, had the bow in his possession. Kratos later set him on fire to acquire the bow. Interestingly, the bow is known to be the personal weapon of Apollo, much like the pair of chained blades to Kratos, so the presence of it in the hands of captive Peirithous might indicate that Apollo is dead, presumably for a long time. TriviaEdit *The Apollo skin was included in God of War III's pre-order package. *An interesting fact, though contradictory, suggests if Apollo appeared in God of War III, and was killed by Kratos, his death, as the god of healing, would've caused the Plague of Olympus. *Before the release of God of War III, many fans speculated that he would appear as a boss in the game. However, he was not included, and has not made an appearance since then. *Athena mentions Apollo in the novel in response to Hermes' boasting about his own handsomeness. The goddess indirectly compares the messenger of the gods to Apollo, but Hermes simply states Apollo may be pretty but boring. *It's possible that Apollo was responsible for adding the Muse music puzzle, which allowed Pandora's Box to be raised from the lower level of the chamber. From afar, the shape of the music puzzle is that of a lyre, Apollo's favored music instrument. *Apollo has an odd association with fire in the God of War universe, especially since he is explicitly not the God of the Sun. It may be that just as Hermes was given power over plague, Apollo has power over fire like Helios in the God of War mythos. GalleryEdit * * * Category:God of War characters Category:Greek